Part 835

Map references: Middle East

Area: total: 780,580 sq km land: 770,760 sq km water: 9,820 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Texas

Land boundaries: total: 2,627 km border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 331 km, Syria 822 km

Coastline: 7,200 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only - to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR territorial sea : 6 nm in the Aegean Sea,; 12 nm in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea

Climate: temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Terrain: mostly mountains; narrow coastal plain; high central plateau (Anatolia)

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m

Natural resources: antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulfur, iron ore

Land use: arable land: 32% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 16% forests and woodland : 26% other: 22% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 36,740 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: very severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van

Environment - current issues: water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Desertification, Environmental Modification

Geography - note: strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas

@Turkey:People

Population: 63,528,225 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 31% (male 10,180,631; female 9,820,505) 15-64 years: 63% (male 20,326,169; female 19,648,647) 65 years and over : 6% (male 1,638,048; female 1,914,225) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.64% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 21.83 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 5.43 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 40.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.37 years male : 69.95 years female: 74.91 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.52 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish